Need Suggestion for getting HTiB from US

[techy]

Hi,
I am going to USA for about 3 weeks on business was thinking of picking up a decent home theater (HTiB) from there, Has any one done this in the recent past ? Is it still worth while getting Onkyo/ or any other brand high end system which can be serviced in India in case of any problems? I am aware of the custom duties and I may have to pay for the extra baggage. Any suggestion for a HTiB with the budget of ~$600? " I am newbie in Hi-FIi AV". Thanks in advance

I looked at a few HTiBs One caught my attention is Denon DHT-391XP

 

[midnitefreakin]

kindly chk i think on business visa u cnt bring in anything for persoanl use...it would be all taxable...if not i think ur limit would be 10k...luggage prob will def depend on ur carrier limit...

i know the price in US is very lucrative but the goods bought there wnt hav any warranty on them in india. chk this before you buy...

 

[techy]

Thanks midnitefreakin, I am aware of custom duties for the stuff you get in to India while on business, I basically want to find out if some one has done this recently ( after new baggage restriction etc) And also wanted to get a suggestion for a HTiB with the budget of ~$600

 

[snorkel4u]

I really doubt on the restriction on the amount of stuff you can get depending on the Visa. I have been to US on a Student/ Exchange Visitor/ Business/ Work Permit, and I have never witnessed any difference in how my baggage is treated (this is when i came loaded with electronics always more than the 250$ limit).

I guess you'll be anyways bringing the HT in its own box. Get it to the Airport. Gladly pay the excess baggage. make sure you get a couple of FRAGILE stickers on the box.

When exiting customs in India, enter thru the Red channel and show them the receipt of your HT from US. More chances are they are not going to charge/ calculate your duty on the basis of the US bill. They have their own price values of various electronic items. They will deduct 25K from that and on the remaining amount you will be charged the Duty.

The good thing is, if you come thru the Red Channel and yourself declare that you're carrying ONLY the HT as over the permissible limit, chances are they won't sniff the other gifts you may be having in your other suitcase. So they come duty free.

Try talking to a constable typish guy and keep a few $$ change, like 20-40. Most of the times if they're keen in making an extra buck they grab the money and let you thru.

Of course, no warranty in India. And make sure you keep aside a decent 5000 Rs for a good Step down transformer, else all the trickery, down the drain.

My Pick would be get the Onkyo HT 5300 or 7200. Value for money when bought from US

 

[ShaQ.Blogs]

Was searching for the same info.
Is it a good idea to import, especially considering the price difference while ignoring the warranty?

They have their own price values of various electronic items. They will deduct 25K from that and on the remaining amount you will be charged the Duty.

If we shop and import through amazon does the same 25K import duty limit apply? Or do different rules & rates apply while shipping?
My understanding from your post (do correct me if I am wrong),
If product is less than 25K - not required.
If more than 25K, pay import duty for the difference.

 

[snorkel4u]

If product is less than 25K - not required.
If more than 25K, pay import duty for the difference.

True, as per prices of those products in India. You could say you shopped it during the Black Friday sale and got it for 200 USD
They're not gonna buy it.

Even if you buy it thru Amazon, Onkyo won't even ship it to India. Some other resellers may, but they charge close to 15-16K just for the shipping and the customs is another 4-5K. So not really worth the effort. Unless someone gets it personally for you. Someone whom I am have been searching myself now to bring me my 5300

 

[trittya]

I suggest you buy an avr here and get this speaker package

HSU Ventriloquist VT-12

but if your friend/relative can get this too, nothing like it

HSU STF-1 Subwoofer

put together it sells as this and you save some money too

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/performance1.html

Believe you me, its tough to get a better 6.1 setup at this price point.
But again, please buy your AVR from here, even the grey market gives you better service than authorised service centres when you take an AVR not bought thru them in India to them for service or repair. Consider that.

 

[ShaQ.Blogs]

What about ebay products?
There are products like this which go with Item condition as new? are these new or used? Is there any way to even check? Are these reliable at all?

eBay India: GEB - 280639396026 - ONKYO TX-SR608 HOME THEATER RECEIV (item 380322221806 end time 09-Mar-2011 21:18:44 IST)

 

[trittya]

BTW, I recommend this to you due to first hand experience. A very close friend got it for himself the 6.1 setup for 30k. I installed it for him, auditioned it fresh, and then again recently in Jan. He, sadly does not have a very keen ear and hardly gets to use it for music cause the kids keep watching TV all the time. When they dont, he does, so he never gets around to using it for music. But he is not willing to sell it, so I guess he knows its real value. The performance2 kit only has a bigger sub, dont go by their(website's) room levels, trust me you dont need the bigger sub at all.

 

[ShaQ.Blogs]

Even if you buy it thru Amazon, Onkyo won't even ship it to India. Some other resellers may, but they charge close to 15-16K just for the shipping and the customs is another 4-5K.

I checked some out, yes they dont ship many products like SR608.
But some products like this, they do ship. Calculated charges for 15-20 days shipping dosent come out more than 7000.
NR708

 

[trittya]

Just make sure you get the 220v/50hz model suitable for India.

 

[ShaQ.Blogs]

My previous Posts have not come yet....gr8!
Needs to be checked my moderator. This is a bug, maybe someone shd consider fixing it.

I checked out how it works out importing through amazon.
Here's the cost associated for Onkyo TX-NR708.

Items: $549.00
Shipping & Handling: $98.65

Total Before Tax: $647.65
Estimated Tax To Be Collected:* $0.00
Import Fees Deposit $201.27

Order Total: $848.92, Comes to ~39K. Also add 1K Max, for a step down converter.
Checked out Onkyo India - 60K!
Modern World Domlur - 57K.
And it works out cheaper than SR608 from Onkyo India & Modern world (Without bargaining!).

Have I missed something out here?

 

[snorkel4u]

They're just charging 98$ to ship to India :O

 

[ShaQ.Blogs]

Even if you buy it thru Amazon, Onkyo won't even ship it to India. Some other resellers may, but they charge close to 15-16K just for the shipping and the customs is another 4-5K. So not really worth the effort. Unless someone gets it personally for you. Someone whom I am have been searching myself now to bring me my 5300

Based on what do you say that shipping costs like 15K? :sad:
When I try to place an order on products like - Onkyo TX-NR708, and check the final pricing it bills me at 850$. Including shipping which costs like 5K. What am i missing here?
More importantly, whats it that you know that I dont?

 

[snorkel4u]

Well I was once able to find a seller in Amazon who was selling a brand new 5300 and was ready for international shipping. When I reached check out I saw 350$ as the shipping charges. Customs extra.

Later, I thought of the option of getting this shipped in the US to any of my friends' and then he shipping it thru an ocean freight cargo container to any port in India. Even those courier companies quoted nothing less than 250-275 $

Thirdly, I tried portals like shopyourworld.com and ebay GEB, again the same prices.

So far I am not able to source a HT 5300 less than 36K from US to India sans warranty!